The Front Porch Swing

[Blooie]

My birds love leaves. I think they like the leaf mold (B vitamins, maybe?) and the little bugs they find when scratching in leaves. They scratch so much any leaves in the run disappear pretty quickly.

The only question I have about it is if leaves encourage mites ... but chickens + leaves seems so natural I'd think there would be a natural balance for mites. ???

That's what I thought too, Leslie, but then I kept thinking about all the other warnings around BYC about chickens and mold and I started second guessing myself......I know, I'm overthinking things again.

 

[RachaelS]

Quote: Mine also love it when I put leaves in. So far no issues. I also put veggies in the coop after they go to roost so it will attract bugs overnight, they have a "hay day" when they wake up the next morning, bugs and veggies

 

[Blooie]

Mine also love it when I put leaves in. So far no issues. I also put veggies in the coop after they go to roost so it will attract bugs overnight, they have a "hay day" when they wake up the next morning, bugs and veggies

I've been tossing chopped veggies in the coop and they really get the litter stirred up in there! LOL It sounds like the leaves have more to offer than mold, then. Thanks, Porchie Perchers!

 

[Beekissed]

Hey, Bee, speaking of little tidbits of information, when we were talking earlier about DLM in our run, I said something about using leaves. Been doing a lot of reading and poking around on here since then, and read somewhere (all the forums and threads start running together after so long) that leaves will mold too quickly. So do I want to use them in the poop lasagna or leave them out?

Yep...leaf mold is pretty standard in forest decay and you can't escape that. Those molds are one of the microbial work force that help the forest debris decay so well. Try not to use green leaves as they still hold a lot of moisture. Maybe those folks are not waiting until the leaves are cured out and very dry?

I've been using them for the bulk of my coop DL for the past few years and find they are the most successfully composted bedding materials I have used to date. You can throw a bag of pine shavings in there to keep some air spaces in between the leaf matter...those leaves are going to crumble down into nothing, you'll find.

I looked it up, can not believe I have NEVER heard of that. Did you know that a female Hyena has something very much like a penis? She actually has to give birth through it.

Yep...knew that.

My birds love leaves. I think they like the leaf mold (B vitamins, maybe?) and the little bugs they find when scratching in leaves. They scratch so much any leaves in the run disappear pretty quickly.

The only question I have about it is if leaves encourage mites ... but chickens + leaves seems so natural I'd think there would be a natural balance for mites. ???

I doubt it. These are the same leaves our birds are out scratching in and dusting in all fall. I've heard that pine shavings cause mites, hay causes mites and straw causes mites. I think folks like to blame these things on just about anything, but if all these caused mites not a chicken flock in the world would ever escape mite free.

 

[Beekissed]

That's what I thought too, Leslie, but then I kept thinking about all the other warnings around BYC about chickens and mold and I started second guessing myself......I know, I'm overthinking things again.

You don't need to go any further than the Front Porch to find out most things you need to know about chickens, so that oughta save you a lot of time from now on.

 

[Blooie]

You don't need to go any further than the Front Porch to find out most things you need to know about chickens, so that oughta save you a lot of time from now on.

You're absolutely right. But I do enjoy going through the posts and reading them.

 

[RachaelS]

Quote: Figures

I swear I forget more than I learn lately, not sure why.

 

[Blooie]

Figures

I swear I forget more than I learn lately, not sure why.

Just the old stuff scooting out and making room for the new stuff, Rachel!

 

[Triple Willow]

You're absolutely right.  But I do enjoy going through the posts and reading them.

I tend to get in trouble when I leave The Porch. Might need one of those invisible fences. lol

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I guess when you compost with leaves they can form an impenetrable slick. But chickens don't let that happen.